Stellate sturgeon

Acipenser stellatus

Appearance: A rather slim-bodied sturgeon easily distinguished by its snout, which is long, thin and fairly straight. The row of five barbels lies closer to the mouth than the tip of the snout. Lateral scutes small, numbering 30-40. These features distinguish the stellate sturgeon from the Russian sturgeon, which has been found in Finnish waters in recent years.

Reproduction: Ascends rivers to spawn, in Russia between May and July. Not known to reproduce naturally in Finland.

Food: Bottom invertebrates and fish.

Distribution and habitat: Native to the Caspian Sea, Black Sea and adjoining Azovskoye Sea as well as rivers feeding into these waters. Has been introduced by Russia into the Gulf of Finland, while some have escaped from fish farms. Several stellate sturgeons measuring 50–60 cm have been caught off the S and SW coast of Finland since the late 1990s. Stellate sturgeons are found on the bottom during the day but move into mid-water at night in search of prey.

Wild sturgeon (Common sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, Baltic sturgeon, European sea sturgeon, Acipenser sturio) have not been caught off Finland’s coast since the 1930s. The most likely species to be caught in Finnish sea waters are stellate and Russian sturgeons. These too may disappear as stocked specimens and escapees die off. Sturgeons are ling-lived, so that this process will take time.